New Rose Garden Advice

last year

Hello everyone. i am new to the rose hobby, but i recently jumped in with both feet and purchased about….14 David Austin roses. So far. They are currently in large pots, but i want to create a fenceline rose garden for them. I am vaguely aware that I need to dig up the grass along the fence and fish out all the roots. Then put….things on/in it, including the roses. Any advice would be appreciated but, my questions are:

1) How should i prepare the soil itself to plant roses After clearing the grass and roots? amendments? Compost/organics?

2) is there anything i should include with each rose when planting? It seems like everyone has a different idea. Bone meal? Alfalfa? How do you guys promote good growth throughout a rose’s first year (and beyond?)

Ok so, that isnt really 2 questions, more like 15, but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks alot guys.

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Comments (4)

Moses, Pitt PA, cold W & hot-humid S, z6
last year
last modified: last year
Where are you located: agricultural zone, nearest large city, stuff like that? Is the row receiving full sunlight (6 or more hrs./day)? What kind of soil is presently under the grass? Are there any tree root problems?

Answers to these questions will aid in helping you.

Moses
kissmyaztreonam
Original Author
last year
Hi, The area does recieve full sunlight. I am in zone 9 a little north of New Orleans Louisiana. The soil is clay, although I dont know what implications that has. There are no trees anywhere nearby.
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Moses, Pitt PA, cold W & hot-humid S, z6
last year
last modified: last year
Clay soil, when amended, makes pretty good soil for roses. Drainage is paramount. Even a very slight grade is good. Even 1-2° grade is workable. A raised bed is great. Soil amenders: compost, well aged manure (preferably not poultry just yet...too tricky...burning potential even well aged), sphagnum peat moss, aged fine/small pine bark mulch, coir, municipal aged tree limb grindings, mushroom manure...whatever is available and cheap, preferably free. Don't forget a small amount of coarse river sand and sharp pea sized gravel...just a very little dug in.

You have enough David Austin Roses to fill a row just about 50+' long! In your climate, given good care, some Austin's will grow enormously large. Lady of Shallot can get 6+' across in your wonderful climate. So, you have to place your bushes carefully, planting them when at maturity, they are not growing into one another. Distance from the fence needs to be taken into account, too.

Fertilizer, do yourself a favor and feed with Osmocote Plus (trace elements), 15-9-12, 8-9 month feed 50# $159.05. Amazon Prime will deliver free. Put it top dressed in late winter, at pruning time, just before/as new growth begins to emerge...and forget about fertilizing until next year, ad infinitum. Can't mess with success...what do the vast majority of nursery men use...Osmocote, period.

Mulch your roses , topping off to app. 2" deep every year. Conserves moisture. Maintains even temperatures. Combats weed growth. Looks nice. Use what's cheap, free, and looks attractive.

You know black spot, the fungus, will be an issue for you. There are organic controls that don't work for me. Bayer Fungicide alternated with Spectricide Immunox will do the trick. Sprayed every two weeks usually does it. Black spot can kill a bush. You may get Downy Mildew or Powdery Mildew....less lethal than black spot, but same fungicides work for these two.

Dead head your roses to the first substantial 5 leaflet leaf, down the stem from the spent bloom or cluster. You can go down lower for your dead head cut if the shape (symetry), of the bush requires it. Also the thicker the stem is at the dead head cut will go a long way to ensuring a robust new growth at the cut...at least pencil thick or more...best bet. Just make sure there is a substantial 5 leaflet leaf below the cut.

That's it for now. You've got into roses...a nice avocation, but not effortless, certainly worth it.

Moses

P.S. I'll let the David Austin experts help you with these roses' needs. I don't have any in my garden. Lovely as they be, they're not for me.
User
last year
Moses has given very thorough advice. However, kissmy is in a zone 9. Here in Tuscany, Italy we are supposedly a zone 8, but this zone stuff really doesn't tell all that much about the real climate, IMO. Here, the summers have become so excessively hot and dry that providing shade for roses has become a major priority.

I'd also like to add that I use expanded clay pellets for my soil, rather than sand and gravel; it's lighter to transport, and helps retain water, which is a top priority for me.

As for spraying, I'd advise that you wait and see whether or not it's necessary. Many gardeners (including myself) don't bother with it. Clearly for Moses it's important, but for you it may not be so; I think once again climate is a major factor with this issue.

As for Osmocote,I ordered it on Amazon for the first time-I sure as heck hope that it lives up to it's fame! I am toying with the idea of fertilizing NOW. Fact is, in my climate, roses basically go dormant in the summer, due to the heat and drought, and only NOW are starting to leaf out again, which is such different rhythm from that of a cold zone 5. Here, we often have no real winter, just maybe a short "cold event", so I think the roses might be needing fert now, rather than only in the spring.